Holding device



March 19, 1957 c. A. GRONDZIK 2,785,919

HOLDING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1955 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. Chester A. Grondzik United States Patent 7 HOLDING DEVICE Chester A. Groudzilr, West Hyattsville, Md. assignor to Bobchet Industries, Inc., Washington, D. C., a corporation of Maryland r Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 492,903

Claims. '(Cl. 294-55) This invention relates generally to holding devices, and more particularly to a self-adjusting automatic holding device for handling and curing all types of tobacco and like objects. This application is a continuation-in-part of U. S. patent application Serial No. 447,314, which was filed by the same inventor, on'August 2, 1954, for Self-Adjusting Automatic Holding Device, now abandolled.-

It is to be understood that although this invention is illustrated in conjunction with the curing and handling of tobacco, it is not to be limited thereto as it can most readily be adapted to curing other objects such as hides, fish, and quick drying or freezing processes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a unique tobacco stick which will save time, material, labor, and fuel in the processes of handling and curing all types of tobacco.

'It is still another object of this invention to provide a new tobacco stick which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and which is efficient and reliable in operation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a unique tobacco stick which will withstand a maximum distributed load of green tobacco, and which will hold a minimum of 90 leaves of green tobacco.

Even still another object of this invention is to provide a tobacco stick which will withstand maximum temperatures of 200 F., climatic conditions, and considerable handling abuse.

These and other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the self-adjusting automatic holding device illustrating leaves of tobacco being cured;

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of a detail of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 illustrates the conventional way of curing tobacco leaves.

In accordance with the invention, a tobacco stick is provided for curing a large number of tobacco leaves on a single, compact stick. This stick comprises a holder which has flexible means thereon for receiving the ends of the tobacco stems. The stem ends are inserted between the holder body and the flexible means. Sufficient friction is created between the holder, flexible means, and tobacco stems to hold the leaves of tobacco in place during curing thereof.

Referring now to Fig. 3, there is illustrated the conventional manner for curing tobacco. As the tobacco leaf ripens, the leaf is carefully picked. After a suflicient number of leaves have been picked, they are placed in a cart and taken to a table where each individual leaf is tied to a one inch square wooden stick. The leaves are tied in bunches, such as illustrated by leaves 38, 40, and 42, of Fig. 3. This is a slow and tedious process, with time and labor as well as much tobacco being wasted. These sticks with the leaves of tobacco are then placed price in the barn for curing. However, due to the present method of bunching tobacco in tying it on the stick, proper curing of tobacco is difiicult as the heat does not fully penetrate a bunched area. This results in green stems, and, in addition, the inner portions of the stems are still green after curing. This results in a lower grade of tobacco which will not bring a top price on the open market, with large losses thus being forced on the grower of the tobacco.

The present invention, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, eliminates the disadvantages pointed out for the conventional method of harvestingtobacco. The tobacco stick 10, comprising this invention, consists of a housing portion 12 which is curved as indicated in Fig. 2, .with straight portions 14, 16, and 18, together with thestraight portion 19 and the curved portion 20. The housingportion 12, as well as the other portions 14, 16, 18, 19, and 20, are of the same length, and run throughout the length of the tobacco stick 10. Between portions 14, 16, and 18, there are inserted a plurality of flexible finger elements; such .as illustrated by element 22. These elements areplaced adjacent to each other, throughout the length of thestick 10.. These elements can be formed of rubber or like flexible material, while the tobacco stick is preferably formed of metal, such as aluminumor the like.

In operation, a number of the tobacco sticks '10 as described are loaded into a tobacco cart, which can be mule drawn, and this cart is followed by pickers. The pickers pick the ripened leaves and immediately load the leaves into the stick It) by inserting the stem end 24 by hand 26 into the stick 10, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. The stem end 24 is inserted between the rubber and flexible elements 22 and the straight portion 19 of the stick 10. Due to the angle of the portions 14 and 18 and elements 22 to the straight portion 19, sufiicient friction is created between the rubber elements 22 and the straight portion 19 to prevent the leaves from dropping out of the tobacco stick 10. Fig. 1 illustrates a number of leaves 30 mounted in the tobacco stick 10. When the bottom stick is fully loaded to capacity with tobacco leaves 30, the picker proceeds to load the second stick from the bottom of the cart, and so on up until every stick 10 in the cart is fully loaded.

The cart, with the ripened tobacco loaded into the tobacco sticks, such as 10, is then returned to the tobacco barn. The stick loaded tobacco is then removed from the cart and handed to the tobacco hanger, who hangs the tobacco in the barn on supporting members, such as illustrated by element 28 in Fig. 1. It is to be noted that the tying table, and the labor and time consumed in tying the tobacco such as described for the conventional method outlined in connection with Fig. 3 have been eliminated.

It is to be particularly noted that when the tobacco leaves 30 are loaded into the tobacco sticks 10, the leaves are not bunched together. Consequently, tobacco leaves hung in tobacco sticks 10 will dry and cure more evenly and completely in less time than by the conventional method previously described. To the grower of tobacco, this means a maximum cash return for his crop of tobacco. The stick 10, therefore, also represents a minimum of waste due to field to barn processing.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

l. A holding device, comprising, structure defining a tubular member having at least two surfaces forming a slot extending along the longitudinal direction of said member, 0ne ofsai d surfaces being planeand apart of the other surface being arranged to form a trough, and means'including flexible fingers extending outwardly from said trough and arranged at an angle to said plane surfaceto form a closure for said slot, wherebywhen the end "of an object is inserted in'saidslot between'isaid flexible fingers and said plane surface suffi cient frietion is created to hold the end of said object in said device.

trough at an angle to said plane surface to form a Closure forsaid slot, whereby when the end-of an object is in- 'serted in said slot between said flexible means and said plane surface, the object remains fixed to said device,

3. A holding device, comprising, structure defining a tubular member having a curved surfaceand a plane surface forming a slot extending along the longitudinal direction of said tubular member, and means including Iflexible finger elements mounted to said curved surface and extending outwardly at an angleto said plane surface and arranged to form a closure for said slot, whereby when the end of an object is inserted in said slot between Lsaid flexible finger elements and said plane surface, the .obje'ct is positively supported by said device;

4- A holding de i p s s us u erdefi i g a tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot with flange portion formed at one edge of the longitudinally extending slot and a plane surface formed at the other edge thereof, and means including flexible elements mounted on and extending outwardly from said flange portion at an angle to said plane surface to form a closure for said slot and arranged to grip the end of an object inserted in said slot between said finger elements and said plane surface. 5, As an article of manufacture, a holding device coinprising, a tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot with a flange at one edge of said slqt and a plane portion at the other edge of said slot, and flexible finger elements secured to and mounted along the length of said flange portion and extending outwardly at an angle to said plane portion to form a closure for said slot and to grip the ends of objects inserted in said slot between said fingers and plane portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

